21.7.10

i have stuff to say about things

IF WAS DRIVING IT WOULD BE LESS CLOSERecently, DSG blogger Eran Dahan interviewed me for an article he was doing on Switzer Performance. I've posted the first part of it here, and invite you to check out the rest of the interview over at DSG.

Enjoy!A while back, I mentioned that at sometime, I'd have the chance to interview the power experts at Switzer Performance. Well today was that day, we got to have a chat with tuning firm synonimous with insanely powerful cars. Thanks to Tym Switzer and his team, the company has consistently released kick-ass cars like the Nissan GT-R P700 and the Porsche 997 P800 through the use of innovation. I bet you'd like to get to know these guys now right? Well here it is, our interview with Switzer Performance Innovation!

DSG Performance: So let’s start with your story. How and when did Switzer come to be?

Jo Borras: In the early 90's, Tym Switzer began working on DSM turbos through a Chrysler dealership in Ohio where he was a technician. He studied the way the turbos worked and began tuning his own car after work, which led him to transition form the dealership/service side of the industry and into the racing/tuning side. That first car, a white turbo Talon, was eventually featured in "Turbo and High-tech Performance" magazine in the US.

DSG: What was the first car you put the Switzer touch on?

JB: As above, Tym's own 1991 Eagle Talon (DSM).

DSG: What project car signified a turning point in transforming the Switzer brand into what we all see today?

JB: One of Tym's Mitsubishi Evo clients had a Porsche with a "built" motor from another tuning firm. They had had the car for over a year, it had been sent back and forth across the US, and it wasn't right. The client asked Tym to take a look at the car, even though Porsche wasn't Tym's specialty. Tym found the problem that day: one of the technicians at "brand x motorsports" had left a socket in the engine case, which was destroying the engine. The client asked Tym to rebuild the engine, and it ran STRONG, which led to other clients of "brand x" hearing about the car and sending their own cars to Tym. Eventually, Tym began addressing not only build-quality issues, but design issues, which led to developing the Switzer MONSTER intercoolers and, eventually, entire comprehensive packages.